2 blogs off-limits to Vallejo city workers

VALLEJO Bankruptcy-related sites are off-limits to work computers

Vallejo's city manager has barred city employees from reading two local blogs that focus on the city's descent into bankruptcy.

City Manager Joseph Tanner on Monday added the Vallejo Times Herald's local news blog and the Vallejo Is Burning Web site to the list of Internet addresses employees cannot access from city computers.

"We blocked these because they are political in nature," Tanner said. "We blocked them because one is an anti-bankruptcy site and the other is a rag of a newspaper."

Vallejo filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in May, facing a $16 million deficit and no money in reserve. Its labor unions have been contesting the filing, saying the city is trying to dodge its contract obligations. A federal bankruptcy judge is expected to rule next week on whether the city is insolvent and can proceed with reorganizing its finances.

Marc Garman, editor of the volunteer-run Vallejo Is Burning site, said he wasn't surprised that Tanner barred city employees from reading his site at work. The site, at www.ibvallejo.com, is also called the Vallejo Independent Bulletin.

"People have been kind of up in arms, but it seems like a fairly common practice," Garman said. "I do commend him for not singling out one particular site."

Vallejo Is Burning gets about 60,000 hits a day, about 15 percent of which come from the city of Vallejo server, Garman said.

"It does seem a little quieter now," he said.

Ron Rhea, publisher of the Vallejo Times Herald, had no immediate comment on the issue.

The Times Herald and Vallejo Is Burning join a list of pornography, social networking, gambling and hate sites that are already banned.